Few artists have sold the sound of Spain to the world like Alejandro Sanz. One of the most decorated names in Latin music, he is also, at heart, a guitarist — and the instrument under all those hits is the warm, flamenco-tinged Spanish nylon-string guitar he has played since he was a boy.
Flamenco in the blood
Born in Madrid to a family from Andalusia, Sanz grew up steeped in flamenco, and he began playing guitar at the age of seven, drawing on those roots. That foundation never left him: even at the height of his pop fame, his ballads carry the harmonies, the rhythmic snap and the melancholy of the Spanish guitar tradition. It is what gives his music its unmistakable Iberian warmth.
A guitarist's pop star
Sanz went on to become a global force — the winner of twenty-four Latin Grammy Awards and four Grammy Awards — yet the guitar remained the spine of his songwriting. His flamenco-influenced ballads showed an enormous mainstream audience that the nylon-string guitar could sit at the very centre of contemporary Latin pop, not just in the flamenco peña.
Fine Spanish instruments
As a player rooted in the Spanish tradition, Sanz is associated with the country's master Gitarrenbauer. The workshop of Vicente Carrillo — the eighth-generation Casasimarro maker whose flamenco and classical guitars are played by stars from Paco de Lucía onward — counts him among the artists who have used its instruments.
FAQ
Does Alejandro Sanz play the Spanish guitar?
Yes — he has played the nylon-string Spanish guitar since age seven, and his flamenco roots run through his music.
What style is his music?
Flamenco-influenced Latin pop and ballads, built on Spanish guitar harmony and feel.
How successful is he?
He has won twenty-four Latin Grammy Awards and four Grammy Awards.
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